Blackbar is a text game: a sci-fi story of a dystopian future told through the medium of word puzzles. Reminiscent of text adventures and interactive fiction, it has a unique mechanic centered around the concept of censorship. Censorship is frustrating, but the human spirit can beat that frustration by turning it into a game.

You'll pick up Blackbar instantly; however, its challenges will keep you searching, thinking, and trying for days.

"An ingenious puzzle game that critiques censorship" —Fast Company

"The humor is black, the puzzles go from simple to truly challenging, and the story is top-notch." —Gamemoir

"Playing Blackbar is Like High School English Class, And I Love It." —Kotaku

"Wonderfully written and does a fantastic job of pulling you into a not entirely unrealistic tale." —Gizmodo

"Well-written and entertaining, with just a touch of a deeper message to hit a few concepts home. Just plain awesome." —JayIsGames

What's New in Version 1.1

Screenshots

Customer Reviews

Incredible game.

by
tscott123

People who say this is too short and that it only took an hour are either cheaters on geniuses. I'm a clever person and am good at puzzles but this game takes WAY longer than an hour.This game is very emotional, especially for a game that doesn't even have any pictures. I can't really think of a way to explain how amazing this game is at the moment, mostly because I just beat the game and am shaken up from the ending.This game is definitely worth the time and money, just don't cheat and look up the answers online. It takes all the fun out of the game.

compelling, short

by
quillcain

true to the previous reviews, the game took me a little over an hour to complete, but it was definitely an hour well-spent. the puzzles and riddles were clever, the plot was clearly conveyed, and it leaves you with something to think about.

I didn't think the ending was as bad as the other reviews implied, but that might be because I had read reviews beforehand and was bracing myself for the abrupt end.

I don't exactly regret it, but in my opinion, $3 is a liiiiittle too much for an hour-long game that I'm probably not going to play again any time in the foreseeable future.

Unique and challenging game

by
mhusson

Fun game. It was a little different than I thought it would be: more guessing than I expected and less "remembering something from earlier" than I expected, but it was a super fun game overall. I would get stumped on a page for days and only had to cheat a little :).